GILL — Local officials and legislators are lauding state-level efforts to improve suicide deterrence on the French King Bridge amid news that security cameras and barriers will begin to be tested this week.
A bright orange camera apparatus now sits on the eastbound side of the Gill end of the bridge, surrounded by traffic cones, just across from the parking lot where unattended vehicles commonly trigger widespread river searches for people who may have jumped from the span.
That equipment will help the Massachusetts Department of Transportation figure out the best angles for police to monitor activity on the bridge, possibly allowing them to respond in time to prevent an incident, or at least know if someone leapt or just went into the nearby woods when one is reported.
That, officials hope, will prevent expensive and unnecessary searches that put the lives of first responders and divers at risk, not just those who jump. The Connecticut River that flows beneath the bridge is known for its strong currents, which could carry dangerous debris.
Rep. Stephen Kulik, whose district includes nearby Montague and Greenfield, both of which sometimes respond to incidents at the bridge like the search for Tyler Hagmeier, the Plymouth man and Montague native suspected of stabbing a Quincy College professor to death, said the preventive measures will help save lives and money under both scenarios.
Neither Hagmeier nor his body have been found yet, nor has the body of another man believed to have jumped from the bridge earlier this month.
“The cameras will be of great importance to our local police departments and rescue responders to avoid the time and expense involved with unnecessary searches,” said Kulik. “The state’s investment will help people in need when there is a true emergency, and save money for local taxpayers.”
Randy Crochier, a Gill selectman who’s been pushing for cameras for years, said he’s thrilled to see something being done, but wants to make sure the proper cameras are installed — ones that will allow real-time monitoring of the bridge.
He’s also looking forward to working on the suicide prevention portion of the project. “The ultimate goal is that no one jumps,” he said.
State Rep. Susannah Whipps Lee of Athol said she’s glad MassDOT is finally taking some concrete steps toward improving suicide deterrence on the bridge, which she said have been in the works since at least May of last year.
“Safety (on the bridge) has been a concern for decades for people in this area,” she said. “I’m pleased to know there are some changes being made and that the new director in (MassDOT) District 2 has made this one of his priorities.”
Whipps Lee also noted that the searches are expensive for small town emergency agencies, both in financial terms and due to they risks it presents to rescuers. But, she said there is still much more work to be done on the French King Bridge. She said she drove over the bridge the night the search for Hagmeier was launched and wondered whether cameras would have been able to monitor what happened in poor weather conditions.
“I think the cameras are a great first step, but not a last step,” Whipps Lee said. She said the working group that’s been pushing for suicide prevention measures on the bridge has also considered installing some form of netting under the bridge to catch jumpers.
Northwestern District Attorney David E. Sullivan, whose office oversees unattended death investigations, agrees with Whipps Lee. He, too, said he thinks some form of netting, at a minimum, should be installed along the underside of the bridge.
Sullivan thinks the cameras and barriers will also go a long way to deter suicide, which he said is often an impulsive action.
“It’s impulsive for the most part and it could pass, and we could prevent a lot of suicides with nets or a barrier,” he said. “It’s a tragedy that is preventable.”
His office is also holding a gun buy-back event in Greenfield next month with the goal of reducing in-home suicides by gun.
MassDOT told The Recorder on Tuesday that a $663,000 project to install preventive barriers on the bridge is under development, but couldn’t say what form those barriers would take.
Police on scene at the most recent incident told a Recorder reporter that netting would present its own set of challenges for first responders, however, requiring additional rescue training for police, in case the victim proved to be a threat to others as well as themselves.
The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco has netting installed, and the Bourne and Sagamore bridges in eastern Massachusetts each have curved fencing.
Whipps Lee said the planners would also need to consider how they’ll preserve the bridge’s historic character, scenic views and integrity — a common point of contention with the public when such measures are announced for bridges with scenic views.
Sullivan said he thinks the potential to stop a person from committing suicide outweighs the benefits of a scenic view.
“If people feel the view is important, I understand that concern, but then there should be a safety net,” Sullivan said. “In my view, the human cost that’s happened over the course of the last two decades can’t compare. Simple preventive measures are long overdue for the French King Bridge.”
The Samaritans, a suicide prevention group, can be contacted at: 877-870-HOPE, or www.samaritansusa.org/contact.php.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline can be reached at 800-273-8255.
You can reach Tom Relihan at:
trelihan@recorder.com
or 413-772-0261, ext. 264
On Twitter: @RecorderTom